Three years of paediatric morbidity and mortality at the national hospital in Dili, East Timor

Aim The aim of this study was to undertake a retrospective review of admissions and discharges to the paediatric wards at the National Hospital Guido Valadares, Dili, as the epidemiology of hospitalised children in East Timor cannot be easily understood from the hospital health management informatio...

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Main Authors: Bucens, I., Reid, Alison, Barreto, A., Dwivedi, V., Counahan, M.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/26399
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author Bucens, I.
Reid, Alison
Barreto, A.
Dwivedi, V.
Counahan, M.
author_facet Bucens, I.
Reid, Alison
Barreto, A.
Dwivedi, V.
Counahan, M.
author_sort Bucens, I.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Aim The aim of this study was to undertake a retrospective review of admissions and discharges to the paediatric wards at the National Hospital Guido Valadares, Dili, as the epidemiology of hospitalised children in East Timor cannot be easily understood from the hospital health management information system. Method Data were sourced from unit registers for 3 years, 2008-2010 inclusive. Demographic characteristics and principal diagnoses were related to the risk of dying using stepwise multivariate logistic regression. Results There were 5909 children admitted to the wards over the study period and 60% were <2 years of age. The commonest reasons for admission were lower respiratory tract infections (LRIs) and gastroenteritis (43% and 16%, respectively). Severe malnutrition (MN) was recorded in only 5% of admissions. Overall, 6% of children died, mainly attributed to LRI (28%), central nervous system infections (16%) and MN (11%). Younger age, residence outside of Dili and admission during a busier period were independently associated with an increased risk of death. Nine per cent of hospitalised infants aged 1-6 months of age died and half of all deaths occurred within 2 days of admission. Conclusions The study provides, for the first time, an understanding of the admissions and outcomes of the busiest paediatric inpatient unit in East Timor. It emphasises important health system issues which impact on both data quality and hospital outcomes. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2013 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-263992017-09-13T15:26:49Z Three years of paediatric morbidity and mortality at the national hospital in Dili, East Timor Bucens, I. Reid, Alison Barreto, A. Dwivedi, V. Counahan, M. Aim The aim of this study was to undertake a retrospective review of admissions and discharges to the paediatric wards at the National Hospital Guido Valadares, Dili, as the epidemiology of hospitalised children in East Timor cannot be easily understood from the hospital health management information system. Method Data were sourced from unit registers for 3 years, 2008-2010 inclusive. Demographic characteristics and principal diagnoses were related to the risk of dying using stepwise multivariate logistic regression. Results There were 5909 children admitted to the wards over the study period and 60% were <2 years of age. The commonest reasons for admission were lower respiratory tract infections (LRIs) and gastroenteritis (43% and 16%, respectively). Severe malnutrition (MN) was recorded in only 5% of admissions. Overall, 6% of children died, mainly attributed to LRI (28%), central nervous system infections (16%) and MN (11%). Younger age, residence outside of Dili and admission during a busier period were independently associated with an increased risk of death. Nine per cent of hospitalised infants aged 1-6 months of age died and half of all deaths occurred within 2 days of admission. Conclusions The study provides, for the first time, an understanding of the admissions and outcomes of the busiest paediatric inpatient unit in East Timor. It emphasises important health system issues which impact on both data quality and hospital outcomes. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2013 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians). 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/26399 10.1111/jpc.12305 restricted
spellingShingle Bucens, I.
Reid, Alison
Barreto, A.
Dwivedi, V.
Counahan, M.
Three years of paediatric morbidity and mortality at the national hospital in Dili, East Timor
title Three years of paediatric morbidity and mortality at the national hospital in Dili, East Timor
title_full Three years of paediatric morbidity and mortality at the national hospital in Dili, East Timor
title_fullStr Three years of paediatric morbidity and mortality at the national hospital in Dili, East Timor
title_full_unstemmed Three years of paediatric morbidity and mortality at the national hospital in Dili, East Timor
title_short Three years of paediatric morbidity and mortality at the national hospital in Dili, East Timor
title_sort three years of paediatric morbidity and mortality at the national hospital in dili, east timor
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/26399